Eternal on the Water

I am in love with this book. I'm in love with Monninger's writing. I wish I could go back to school in New Hampshire solely so I could be one of his students. I'm completely infatuated with his work.

I feel like my review is going to be totally biased considering how infatuated I am with the author's writing style and the fact that it appeals to my senses in every way. Possibly all of this has to do with the fact that my Myers Briggs Type Indicator is INFJ. I know a lot of people don't believe in that type of thing and maybe I wouldn't either if I wasn't INFJ. Ha! It's a vicious circle. Honestly, though, I thought MBTI was totally overrated until I scored as an INFJ. It completely fits who I am in EVERY way. It's amazing. That being said, Eternal On The Water (as well as Monninger's The World As We Know It) completely fulfills everything I could want in a book. It's dreamy, ethereal, chock full of nature, themes on being one with the land and nature and peace and quiet, love and it's about SOULMATES. Like, real soul to soul connection. Otherworldly. (Come to think of it, maybe Monninger is INFJ. Mental note taken to ask him if I ever have the pleasure of meeting him.)

Now, on to a review of actual substance. Maybe.

I picked up this book a couple months previous to reading it. Monninger's The World As We Know It is my favorite book. I didn't want to rush through Eternal On The Water, I didn't want it to be over before I even started reading it. I finally decided to pick it up because I was in a terrible reading slump and I knew Monninger could get me out of it. I read it really slowly at first, savoring every sentence. Halfway through, though, I couldn't put it down.

I fell in love with both Cobb and Mary immediately. I appreciate that all the characters had real lives and real problems, the characters were flawed and that made them all the more relatable and loveable. I'm having a hard time talking about it without giving too much away. I've talked about myself more than the book.

All I can say is that Joseph Monninger never fails to impress me. His writing style is intoxicating, it flows wonderfully and pulls you into the story. You're in the Maine woods, you're on the river with Mary, you're swimming with turtles in Indonesia. I never wanted to put it down. I'm in love with the characters, the story, the writing, and the nature involved. I've said this about Joseph Monninger before but, he really knows what he's talking about when it comes to researching the nature and outdoors involved in his work. It's beautiful, ethereal, honest, rugged, and flowing.

This book will rip your heart in half and put it back together. It will make you believe again.

I recommend it for people who enjoy nature, soul to soul connections (but not cheesy romance), and books that make you cry.